AI
by Yuki Kimagure
Summary: Van buys a Persocom, a beautiful robotic computer woman, with the scientifically impossible Artificial Intelligence unit as a companion. When a corporation who had her specially made wants her back, he finds the urge to keep the woman Ai. CHOBITS FIC!
1. Meet Ai

Disclaimer: I don't own Chobits, or Escaflowne. though I would love to have my own Hideki, or Van, or Minoru, or Shimbo. Hehe.  
  
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Chapter: Meet Ai  
  
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Van paced around the warehouse frustratingly. Merle had given him a reserve for a new persocom. She was concerned that he was getting lonely when she went to study abroad. All he wanted was to be alone without the training of the new 'com he had to get. A large wall of persocom women was spread out around him. Each one was completely different from the last, and each equally boring to him.  
  
He viewed the female robots as computers, nothing else. Sure he was kind to them and never harassed any of them but he never tried to form a bond at all. Rolling his eyes with a huff, he turned to the man beside him.  
  
English born, he was pale, somewhat skinny and tall. Short brown hair and round glasses gave him a nerdish look but had the potential looks to be a man women would go after. He wore a long white lab coat and thick brown boots. His Japanese had a funny high ring to it so he spoke English more to Van.  
  
"I can't find one Hoyt." said Van in annoyance. Hoyt scratched his head.  
  
"We've went through more than thirty rooms of my best and beautiful persocoms and you can't find anything?" he asked in disbelief. "They are the best of the trade Van."  
  
"I just can't find any. Merle should have never reserved me a pick on persocoms." he said with a sigh. Hoyt reached into one of his coat pockets and fiddled with some keys. After looking at it in consideration, a smile grew upon his intelligent face.  
  
"There's one more model that I think you might like." he said with a glint in his eyes.  
  
He led him through a long hallway of locked doors, each with a different key. They were dark with the exception of the small light bulb in the middle of each hall. At the last door, Hoyt pressed his hand on the large metallic pad beside the door and a small scanning laser shot into his eyes. The pad turned green and a mechanical voice said, "Enter." A huge metal door slid heavily to the side, revealing an intricate metallic room.  
  
It was dark, like the expanse hallway and had many mechanical objects all around. The metallic room was cold and sterile, giving Van a small shiver. Hoyt turned to Van from the other side of a large steel cylinder. "Now close your eyes!" he said cheerfully. Van rolled his eyes and he shrugged. "Geez, rich people have no fun." he said with a huff. Reaching over to a control panel, he flicked a switch and pushed a blue button.  
  
The top of the cylinder slid in fourths, under the bottom half. A blinding bright white light above them shone on the figure. It made him squint but he could make out the figure before him. A woman lay on the steel bed. Warm bronze skin lay evenly on her body, a few beauty marks scattered on her. Long, curly ebony hair cascaded down her body to her hips. Van caught his breath. He knew this was the persocom he wanted.  
  
"She has that exotic look that you prefer. Also, she has a clever attitude and very smart, not like those soft, sissy models that everyone wants. I made her from a prior order from some secretive organization. Have you ever heard of the A.I. systems?" asked Hoyt, lowering the light's brightness to a pleasant glow.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, I heard it in the paper. There is a big frenzy about it, a lot of controversy. Some people were claiming that there are already A.I. models in society but I always thought it was a load of crap." he replied.  
  
"Yes, I created the A.I. system. I finally beat that Kokobunji at inventing it. I made five existing models with the experimental unit. It has been perfected in the last one, three women and two male models. The first four I sold as normal persocoms to test them out in societal conditions. After learning of their perfect functioning, I created the perfected model before you. She is perfection to the truest sense of the word. Perfect with the impurities of you and I. Scattered beauty marks; split ends, inconsistency in eye color, different nail lengths. You name it, she probably has it." he said with pride.  
  
Picking her up gently, he handed her to Van. He braced himself for the normal tons of weight that he would normally have to carry when it came to 'coms. Surprisingly, she was very light; lighter than some human women he has carried. "Wow, she's lighter than the other models." he said in wonderment.  
  
"She's made with different internal parts. The organization had her custom made for their needs but they suddenly canceled their order and she's up for sale, at a certain price of course. I do have to warn you though; she can't do accounting, housekeeping, or anything of that nature. I decided to keep her as a personal companion. All she can do is log on the Internet and simple word processing, but she has to type it out." he said.  
  
Van looked down to the woman in his arms. Her skin was softer than the other models he had back at his mansion, unbearably soft. She had the aura of wild innocence with her curly and unruly ebony hair. He smiled to her with sweet approval. "I like her. I'll take her. How much is she?" he asked, laying her back down onto the cold metal slate.  
  
Hoyt scratched the back of his head and sweat dropped. "Oh yeah, about that, She costs about fifty-three million dollars." he said, making Van blink.  
  
"What?! Fifty-three million dollars?! Come on Hoyt! She can't even do the basics and you sold the others for the regular price!" he yelled. "I'll pay Twenty million and that's all!"  
  
The young man cupped his nose in thought, one thing he did very often. He shrugged and said, "I guess; you're my friend and sponsor after all. Her name is Ai, standing for 'Artificial Intelligence.' It's funny though; Ai in Japanese means love. I never thought of that." he said with a smirk.  
  
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Van carried her in an insulated body bag from the backseat of his black corvette. It was a pain to get her in unscathed but he wanted her to be brought in without a scratch. He took great care in carrying her into the large white mansion with the blue roof. A group of about ten women with cat-like ears greeted him at the main hall. "Greetings Lord Van." they cheered. They all wore standard French-maid attire with the puffed out skirt. All of them bowed slightly and gave a delicate smile. "Is that a new persocom Lord Van?" asked one of the mouse-eared 'coms with short blue hair.  
  
He nodded and smiled. "She's a new one but she won't be joining you however. She's purchased as a companion." he said, holding his purchase close to him.  
  
Another girl, one of the taller ones with long black hair and bold yellow eyes bowed and replied, "But you have all of us Lord Van. We can be your companions if you're lonely." Her voice was silky, almost in a purr with a hint of playfulness.  
  
Smirking, he said, "Yes but I think you all might want to stay in my bed with me." All of the 'com maids giggled and blushed. 'I guess I'm not so cold at all with the persocoms.' he said and he walked ahead, up a few flight of stairs and to his room. Inside, he gently laid her on the bed and unzipped the bag, revealing the mechanical goddess inside. Pulling it away, he stood over her; trying to remember the instructions that Hoyt gave him.  
  
"Oh yeah, there's a stupid ring you're supposed to pull where the switch normally is." he said and felt around her groin area for it. All he could feel was her soft womanhood. "I hate starting up persocoms. Why couldn't the activation switch be on their head or something? This is totally indecent."  
  
'Her ring is inside of her so you'll have to dig deep.' he could remember Hoyt yelling as he got into his car. He smacks his forehead. "How dumb am I? It's inside of her body." he says and slumps sadly shortly after saying this. " I really hate activating persocoms. This is degrading." he said.  
  
Hesitantly, he sticks his fingers into her, searching for the ring. 'I bet he's laughing his ass off right now." he thought. Closing his eyes in searching, he rummaged around for it. He propped his arm to the side of her to keep his balance. Feeling the soft and smooth interior made him blush somewhat. 'Where's that damn ring?' he thought, wanting to finish his inappropriate probing quickly. His index finger skimmed something metallic in her. "Aha! Got it!" he exclaimed as he got a grip around it and pulled. As it came unloose, juices started to flow inside of her and she began to heat up. Then Van did a stupid thing.  
  
"Holy shit! I've lost the ring!" he exclaimed as he stuck his forefinger back inside. After a bit of jostling around, he heard a moan. Looking up scared to the woman, he saw her still; in the same way she was when he laid her down. Shaking his head, he resumed to his seeking. He finally found the ring buried deep inside of her. After a little jiggling, he got a hold of it and finally yanked it out. Her sticky and sweet juices covered the ring, making it slippery. "Thank the gods! She sure is gooey." he said with a chuckle.  
  
As he stood up, he came face to face with the female divinity he brought to his bed. He blinked and looked into her chocolate brown eyes. She kept her gaze on his and raised a soft, dark hand to his face. He blushed and looked down, spilling out apologies and it's-not-what-you-think's. Her hands pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him softly. She licked his lips ad he met hers in a sweet stroke. "Van." she sighed and pulled him on top of her, pulling his shirt off and shyly moving her hands across his fine toned chest. He kissed up and down her neck. relishing in her sweet taste. His hands skimmed her bare hips and moved up to her breasts. fondling one while sucking the other. She traced her hand down his chest and his hard stomach. She reached the top of his pants and smirked seductively. This all was making him unbelievably aroused and he watched her hand slip into his pants, breathing heavily.  
  
Unfortunately, this didn't happen and Van blushed at his thoughts. She looked into his eyes and suddenly, her face contorted into disgust. She screamed and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying across the room. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked annoyed. Scrambling to the head of the bed, she grabbed the soft silk sheets and made a futile attempt in covering herself. All of her luscious curves were outlined quite attractively. He blinked at this thought and shook it out of his head. 'Why are persocoms so gorgeous?' he thought as he stood up.  
  
Walking to the bed, he could see her recoil scared into the sheets. "Don't touch me! I'm not your pleasure slave!" she said and scooted back. He blushed at this and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I don't want you for sex. I bought you to be my companion; my friend." he said, nearing her slowly. She stopped retreating and pulled the covers off of her face a little. Her beautiful coffee-colored eyes brilliantly hidden behind long, shy lashes looked up to him in question.  
  
"Then why were you sticking your fingers into me?" she asked. He scratched the back of his head.  
  
"I was turning you on." he said, earning a scared look from the girl. He mentally slapped himself. "I mean that I was activating you. It kinda got lost and I had to fish it out of you. I didn't mean anything wrong." he said persuasively. She let the red satin sheet fall, revealing her succulent body. Ai had the most beautiful body Van had ever seen. It was a lot more attractive when she was activated and running. Her long wild locks accented her chocolate curves. Ai's breasts were perfectly round and placed, somewhat large but not too much larger than his hands would probably be able to. Her waist was even and slightly curved. 'I wonder how it would be like to hold her there.' he thought as he licked his lips.  
  
"Van?" she asked, lightly concerned. She moved over to him a little and looked up to him with a worried look. He looked down to her and smiled. She grinned and looked around his room. "Do you have clothes that I can borrow? I don't like being naked." she said, laying on his bed. Nodding, he silently walked out the door and silently closed it.  
  
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She walked around his room. It was large and had white paneling. The bed she was laid upon was huge, a bit larger than a king sized bed. The long red drapes were drawn back and let the sunlight shine in, filling the room with wonderful light. A fireplace was set into the wall next to the window, the farthest from the bed. Above the mantle was a beautiful painting of a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and two boys. One looked to be about fifteen with short light-blue hair and red eyes. The other was a small raven-haired boy, about the age of five; he too had ruby eyes. She traced a finger down the face of the smaller boy. He must have been Van because the other man looked too old to be him.  
  
Sitting down onto the bed, she waited. This all got too boring for her and she decided to set out herself. Grabbing one of Van's shirts out of a drawer, she pulled it over her head and went to the door. The halls were long and she started to feel small. Intently, she walked down the first hall. They were long and the hardwood floor was feeling cold against her warm feet. Shivering, she walked to what she figured to be an important room.  
  
Opening it, she saw Van inside. He was scrambling around, trying to find out what dress would fit her. She smiled and hugged him from behind. He straightened up and spun around with shock in his eyes. She pulled on her short cat-like metal ears and looked up to him annoyed. "What took you so long? I thought you've died or something." she said. He visibly blushed and looked away from her. She raised an eyebrow and walked over to him so he could face her. "What's wrong with you?" asked Ai.  
  
He looked to her chest and pointed. Looking down, she could see her breasts practically hanging out of it because the neck was so low. She sighed and pulled up the neck of the shirt so it would only show a little bit of cleavage. "I couldn't figure out what kind of dresses you would like." he said, regaining his composure. His long raven bangs shielded his eyes shyly. Raising a hand, she brushed them away to look into them. They were the truest red that she even could dream of. She shook her head and smirked.  
  
"I don't mind wearing your clothes, they're comfy and I don't think I need to be completely dressed up right now." she said. She could tell he was checking her out and she growled annoyed. "I don't like to be lusted after Van." she said, her hands on her hips. Sure, she was scantly dressed in only his shirt, which hung at her upper thighs, but he was looking at her as if he hadn't eaten for days. He snapped out of it and nodded.  
  
Laying the dresses on the bed, he turned to her and smiled. "I don't mind. You will, at one point, have to get your own wardrobe of clothes." he said politely. She liked Van. It seemed as if he felt awkward around her and she liked that.  
  
"I know." she said, deciding to play with him for a little bit. She wrapped her hands around his neck. He towered over her so she was only able to rest her head on his shoulder. Pressing her body against him, she trained herself to his scent. It was masculine, wood and grass. ".but they feel nice on me. Don't you think Van?" she asked. He gulped and she looked up to him in search of approval. 'Now I get to see his resistance level.' she thought with a smirk.  
  
"Um. I don't know. They probably d-do. He heh. I think that we should go and.um.find you a room to sleep in." he stuttered. She looked with puppy dog eyes. Putting on a very good pout, she brushed a hand through his silky hair. She rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed him softly. She could feel his body stiffen but relax. Smiling against the kiss, she let her tongue trace his bottom lip. He moaned and rubbed his hand up and down her left thigh.  
  
Releasing from the kiss, she frowned. She was disappointed that if she could just walk up to him and kiss him like that, he really could be taken advantage of by a woman without the good intentions like she had. He noticed her distress and frowned as well. "Don't let anyone do that to you Van, people can take advantage of your kindness." she said with a small smile. Hugging him, he decided she liked Van. He was a nice person, like her father, but less involved in things. She placed her face onto his shoulder and sighed.  
  
"We should get you a room to sleep in." he said, releasing her from the hug. She smiled and followed him. Walking closer back to his room, he opened a door a few rooms away from his. The room was beautiful to her. All of it was covered in white lace and red silk. She walked up to the large canopy bed. Transparent silk curtains covered the canopy, giving it a soft and romantic seclusion. There was a large armoire there, taller than her and a nice cherry wood color.  
  
Ai hugged him and ran up to the bed, pulling back the curtains so she could get a better look of the bed. She crawled up into the bed, accidentally letting her shirt hike up her waist. Pulling it back down, she sat Indian-style on the bed. It sunk softly under her light weight and she smiled in satisfaction. Van walked up to the bed and sat at the edge. "I hoped you would like it. Well, I'll let you get yourself situated and I'll have the maids get you some comfortable clothes." he said and left her to wallow in the softness of the sheets.  
  
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A/N: Hey! I hope you like this chapter. It's kinda retarded but I'm going to get better, like my other story, "The Painting." Well, review and I might continue it! If I don't get enough good ones, Bye Bye ficcy!!! Oh yeah, I'm also going to continue, "Tears in a Wastebasket." Well, bye!!! SHIMBO RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! 


	2. The Tigress and Her Territory

Disclaimer: I don't own Chobits or Escaflowne. I DO own Ai and the new characters.  
  
A/N: I'm so glad that I got some Really Good reviews!!! Thanks KawaiiDreamer! I'm so glad you like the elements. And please tell me what they are. I just sit and write. Hehe. And ksha2222; thanks for the great review. I can't wait until they fall in love either! When they do, it'll be cute! I'm so glad you think Van and Ai are cute together! I think so too (especially since Ai is basically me, Ai-chan). Well, continue to review and I enjoy all others completely.  
  
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Chapter II: The Tigress and Her Territory  
  
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Van walked to the waiting room of the manor. It was noon and somebody decided to come unannounced. He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It would be so much easier if they would tell me before-hand. Is that too much to ask May?" he asked the persocom he was walking with. She pulled at her long pink curl and smiled. She was his favorite of the maids. His mother grew up with her and she was the oldest one they had but had higher performance than the others.  
  
"You act just like your father Van. He used to kick them out if they didn't schedule their arrival. Of course he had a lot of business during that time too. But you are right, it's only polite to do so." she said, as they stopped at the door. "But she said that it wouldn't matter to you so I let her in. I hope that's alright."  
  
May left and he went inside. There sat a thin and slightly tanned woman. She had the figure of an athlete with long legs and a wiry body. Her soft dirty blonde hair was cut in a nice shoulder-length and slightly flipped out. Wearing a designer baby blue dress that hugged her slight curves, she had very bright green eyes. She looked around shyly and looked up to Van with a smile.  
  
"Hello Van, I hope I didn't cause any trouble." she said as she stood off of the chair. He walked up to her and gave her a gentle hug. She smiled and picked up her sun hat.  
  
"No problem Hitomi. I'm sorry about the hassle, I wasn't expecting you today." he replied with a grin. He held her hand and walked slowly out of the room. She switched to holding his arm and leaned against his shoulder. "Do you want to sit in the patio? I can get you some tea if you'd like."  
  
"Oh that would be great Van. I just came for a simple visit. After hearing that your sister Merle went off to study in Germany, I was worried if you were getting lonely. You don't visit anymore." she said. He blinked and forgot about the arrangement he had made of going over to the Kanzaki mansion two days ago. All that day he was taking Ai around to buy some clothes. Luckily she didn't mention that because she was known to have a temper.  
  
They walked into the patio and he seated her before taking his own. The patio was more like a small plant room. Ivy and beautiful flowers grew plentiful in small pots. He loved this room a lot. He used to have a small tree that he received from his uncle for his fifth birthday. Everyday, he would water it and take it for a walk in his wagon. His mother would tie pretty yellow ribbons onto its branches and he'd always help. Unfortunately, the tree got too big and he planted it out in the garden. Now, it was one of the largest and most beautiful spots there.  
  
"So, I was wondering if you would like to go to the boardwalk this Tuesday. There is supposed to be a good wind for kites and other things. We could finally test out the one you bought me." she said.  
  
Hitomi was not like the average aristocrat, if that is what you'd like to call them. She loved to run and play with things like kites and boats. Her parents were quite the adventurous people themselves, both rock climbers and hikers. He started dating her two years ago, at the Fall Festival. Everyone said they were the perfect couple and envied their romance but the relationship was not as magical as it used to. All they would do was what she wanted and if they went to the art museums or the public gardens, she would complain of the smallest things and would go off to do what she liked instead. He was starting to get bored of their courtship and he really wanted to break it off with her but her had a kind heart and didn't want to hurt her. So he decided to stay with her until she assumed to get bored. That plan started six months ago and she was still ready and eager.  
  
He scratched his head and sighed. "I'm sorry, I was supposed to take Ai to see a movie that day. She's been begging me to see it and I promised her I would. Maybe the day after?" he asked.  
  
She frowned and shifted. "I guess that would be alright." she said. "I guess you had it already arranged." Van smirked inwardly. He enjoyed the fact that he had Ai. Now he could get out of those boring trips to the boardwalk.  
  
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"Where is Van? Have you seen him today?" asked Ai as she stopped Fiona. Fiona had been her close friend since she got here four days ago. She shook her head and smiled.  
  
"I don't know where Master Van is. Maybe he's in the patio. He always likes to go there." she replied. Giving a slight bow, she continued on to drop off the sheets to the laundry. Ai blinked. Here eyes clouded to a dark umber as she contemplated on where the patio was. The manor's halls speed their way around her and suddenly stopped at a green-glassed room. Blinking, she walked in the direction that flashed in her mind.  
  
"I wish this place had a ride to places or something. It would make it a whole lot easier." she thought as she walked down the expanse halls. She tugged at the loose button-down blue shirt that she had on. She had received some new clothes all hers but she loved to wear his clothing. The way it smelled made her feel calm. "I guess Van's like my sedative." she thought aloud as she walked down the back.  
  
She opened the large door and walked down a small hallway and opened the white French doors. Van sat on a chair across from an unknown woman. Jealousy filled up in her. Over the couple of weeks, she had grown a strong possession over him and glared at any woman who spoke to him. 'There was nothing wrong with it right?' she would think. 'I just don't want anyone to hurt him.'  
  
Van looked up to her and smiled. "Hey Ai! What are you doing here? I thought you would still be in bed." he said cheerfully. She made sure she kept the jealousy from appearing on her face. She looked at the girl and studied her. 'All skin and bones.' she thought and looked back to Van.  
  
She walked up and sat on his lap sideways, burying her face into his neck. "I got bored and I couldn't find you. So I asked and they told me you were here." she said childishly. Inwardly, she smirked. She knew the girl was looking at her but she decided to ignore her and pull Van's attention back to her.  
  
"Oh. Hitomi, I'd like you to meet Ai. Ai, I would like you to meet Hitomi Nina Kanzaki." he said, not noticing the hidden error of status he made. Hitomi nodded and smiled, holding out her hand.  
  
"Hello Ai, I'm Hitomi." she said in a high voice, used for little children or people who weren't intelligent. She looked at her hand and up to her in a disapproving frown.  
  
"Hi." she said. 'I bet you think I'm stupid huh Hitomi? Because I'm a persocom that means I automatically don't have brains?' she thought with a glare. Hitomi frowned and put her hand back onto her lap. Van looked down to her with a frown.  
  
"Now Ai, be nice. She's trying to be nice to you." he said in a whisper. She looked to him in disapproval about his suggestion and then forced a smile.  
  
"Sorry Hitomi," she started, hopping off of Van's lap. ", I was just a little sleepy and I just need some time to get to wake up." Ai felt like she was going to crack. Letting herself up, she turned to Van and gave him a sweet smile, a real one. "I'll be in my room if you need me Van." she chimed and silently walked out the door.  
  
She stomped through the hall. She wasn't happy at all. 'Now that is an understatement. I'm furious!' she thought as she spun around the corner, almost knocking over a persocom. 'How DARE that Hitomi woman invade on my space! He's my territory!' she thought as she crashed on her bed. Smiling, she rolled her tongue across her teeth feline-like. 'Yes, that's it; he's MY territory. I kind of like it. He's mine after all. Like I belong to him. Kind of like a partner deal. He owns what I own and I own what he owns. It's only fair.' she thought with a smirk.  
  
Giving a feline-like purr, she curled up into a ball. She liked the idea of Van being her territory. It gave her a pleasurable sense of power. Power over all that came near her. And it seemed that he didn't mind at all of her possession over him. Heck, it seemed like he enjoyed it. Settling into a small nap, she thought of the one who tried to take him from her.  
  
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He sighed and turned away from the door. Hitomi had something of importance and she had to leave. The time she was here was bittersweet enough and he was glad she was gone. Ai really decided to act up and he thought that this had lowered Hitomi's self-esteem somewhat. May walked up to Van and smiled.  
  
"Does something trouble you Master Van?" she asked. He chuckled at this and shook his head.  
  
"Oh, just that Ai decided to act up while Hitomi was around. I really don't understand her. She's been really crabby since we went shopping for clothes a week ago. Do persocoms get PMS?" he asked confused. May giggled and shook her head.  
  
"No we don't, we have consistent thought patterns so we don't have spontaneous mood swings." she replied. Looking closely to him, she noticed the sadness on his face. "Master Van? What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"I think I need to break it with Hitomi soon. I really don't want to hurt her though. But I can't take it anymore May." he said with a frown.  
  
"Well, Ai will make sure that she won't see you anymore." she giggled. Van raised an eyebrow. He knew May all of his life but she still was an enigma to him.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, completely confused.  
  
"You can't tell Master Van?" she asked, earning a shake from his head. She sighed. "It's obvious. She was storming off when she walked out of the patio. She's jealous of Hitomi." she said. Van blinked.  
  
'I must be the most dense man in the world.' he thought. He just now realized that that was why she acted up when Hitomi was there. That was reason why she had snuggled up on him to take his attention. He smacked his forehead and cursed. He turned to May. "I have to go ask Ai herself. Thins is really weird." he said and ran off.  
  
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A loud knock on the door woke her from her dreams. They were beautiful; she was a wild woman who had a rule of a jungle, kind of like Tarzan but female. She laughed, remembering Van as her slave in a cage. Opening the door, she saw the tired look on her 'man-slave.' "Come in." she said with a smirk. He sat on her bed and caught his breath. Figuring he must have run to her room, she gave him time to speak.  
  
"Ai, why did you act so rudely around Hitomi?" he asked. She huffed at the name of the trespasser. Standing in front of him, she rolled her eyes annoyed.  
  
"I just don't like her. It's a human emotion, might as well display it." she said, going around the point. She could tell that Van realized that and furrowed his brows.  
  
"You're going around the matter Ai. Does it have to do with me?" he asked. She felt like a deer in front of a headlight. Giving a fake gasp, she clutched her chest in fake horror.  
  
"Oh gods! How did you know?" she said, and then rolled her eyes again. He sighed and looked to her in frustration. She cooed and smirked. 'I'm not going to lose to him. I won't lose to Hitomi.' she thought strongly. 'Wait, how is Hitomi is this? This is getting confusing.'  
  
"Ai, are you jealous of Hitomi?" She blinked in shock. Not in her mind could she think that Van would be so direct to her. She fumed and clenched her hands at her sides.  
  
"Anyone who would be jealous of that rat faced, nappy haired, scrawny little skank would have BIG problems with their self-esteem!." she yelled earning an angry look from Van. He looked as if she had just drowned his puppy but she remained furious at his accusation.  
  
"Don't you EVER call anyone that! Especially Hitomi! All she does is try to be nice to you and you bite her head off! What's wrong with you?!" he fumed. She glared at him. He had stood up in the middle of his yelling and was staring her down. She shrunk and tears started to form in her eyes. Ai never knew that he could get angry like this and the way he glared at her shook her to the bone. She did all that screamed in her mind; she ran out of her room. Van had pulled ranks and he had won in the hierarchy. Hitomi had won and she hated it.  
  
Running blindly, she could hear Fiona yelling for her but she continued to run. She ran through the halls and through a glass door, shattering it instantly. The shards still clung to her and stung like crazy but she continued. She suddenly felt warm grass under her bare feet and she looked around to find a place to hide. She saw a tall tree in the middle of the garden and climbed up into it. She knew she shouldn't have said that but that was what she thought. 'I really must have self-esteem problems if I'm getting worked up over these things.' she thought as she nestled herself between a comfortable nook. All night she sat there, cowering and crying, like a tigress that lost her territory.  
  
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A/N: I love this chapter!!! I'm really not that possessive tho...heh, um, well yes I am. I DON'T CARE!!! This is what I get for being a rabbit (Chinese Zodiac says rabbits are very emotional). Stupid Chinese Zodiac! Well I hope you like this chapter. I tried to introduce the emotional villain, Hitomi but she is not the most evil person in the world. Dale. grrrrrr. Well, please review. I like your creative thoughts. And, like me, Ai has a bit of obsessive possession over people who she cares about. And glares at any possible trespasser. Ai's like me, but to the extremities, so she's kind of wild but caring. Well, hope you like, I'm starting the next one now. Bye!  
  
~@~ 


	3. Sunsets are like Paintings

Disclaimer: Who in their right mind cares about Disclaimers? Read the last two chapters if it matters so much to you.  
  
A/N: I love you ksha2222 and KawaiiDreamer!!! My two faithful readers!!! I enjoy the others who read it too but PLEASE review!!! It would make this story come out so much faster! Well, if Ai is acting really weird, too bad. Heh! Well read on!  
  
  
  
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Chapter III: Sunsets are like Paintings  
  
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The laboratory was quiet. He had no more persocoms he wanted to make. And with the money he made on the A.I., he was looking forward to a nice long vacation. "Hmmm, maybe back to London, I can go and visit family there." he thought as he reclined back in the metallic chair, propping his feet on the metal bed. He missed his so-called 'daughter.' She was perfect and he loved programming her. Not really programming, just inserting knowledge into her mind. Ai was the perfect daughter for him. She was witty, sensitive, spontaneous, and wild. He smirked. "Well I hope Van is enjoying her." he said with a sigh.  
  
Everything was too quiet for him. It was boring too. All he did was sit around and read up on the latest news. He didn't need it though; he had created the ultimate and enjoyed it. His experiments had long ago rusted up and he stopped working on them. Biting into a BLT sandwich, he looked at the steel bed. 'I really will miss you though. Life gets boring without you here to maintain. I know you're fine and happy. You're with Van and I know he'll take care of you.' he thought and raised his sandwich like a wine glass. "To you Ai. May you always be happy."  
  
Biting into it, the phone suddenly rang. He struggled with it still in his mouth and fell down in the rush, the phone landing on his head. Picking it up, he pulled the sandwich out of his mouth and answered a muffled, "Hello?"  
  
"H-H-Hoyt? It's Van." he said. His voice was wracked with shock. Hoyt could tell something was wrong.  
  
"Yes? What is it? Are you okay?" he asked. This was really scaring him and he put the sandwich on the sterile table.  
  
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Van sat in the patio nervously. He had called Hoyt about an hour ago and he was outside, trying to coax Ai out from the tree. He had tried to get her out himself but all she did was fight him and panic. Finally, He gave up and decided to ask Hoyt for help. When he had arrived, he wondered what he had done to her to make her freak out like that. That's on thing he would like to know, what did he do? All he did was yell at her because of what she had called Hitomi and she ran off.  
  
May and Fiona had begged her to come down as well but they gave up. It seemed that he was the only one she had stricken at. Why this was, he didn't know either. He would sit by the tree and hear her moving around in it but today, all he heard was silence. He had called out to her over and over again but he received no reply. He had asked Fiona, who had remained there to watch for her, if she had climbed down and left but she replied that Ai was still in there.  
  
Hitomi had visited two days ago but her refused to see anybody. He didn't know why he was acting this way to the persocom. Well, he actually did. Ai really meant a lot to him, she was his friend, and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Luckily he knew that she wasn't starving because he set food in the lower branches every meal time and he would come back to see their emptied cartons on the ground.  
  
He stood up and walked out to the gardens. Hoyt seemed to be getting a little impatient and decided to climb up to her. Sitting on the grass, he watched him climb. 'He must have been a frequent climber when he was young.' he thought as he watched him swing masterfully up into the branches. The warm sun comforted him somewhat as he waited for him to bring down Ai.  
  
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Everything seemed to move around her. The tree began to shake and quiver suddenly as she heard soft voices. She looked up and scanned her sanctuary. All she hoped was that it wasn't Van. She was too ashamed to be near him. Too ashamed to come back down and live in his house. The soft orange bird next to her chirped and twittled it's tail feathers. Birds had become her newest arrangement of friends. They were tiny and soft to touch and they seemed to like her. She didn't try to control them and she didn't have the urge to. She wanted them to be free and to fly back to her willingly.  
  
The bird hopped down and she reached out and grabbed it softly. Holding the soft bird up to her, she looked into its beady eyes with concern. She shook her head but the bird looked back to her with the look of 'I want to help you.' Setting it down, it hopped down and she lost it. Crawling back into her safety ball, she rocked herself and contemplated.  
  
She must have been in the tree for five days now. All of this was getting stupid to her but she was scared. What if Van hates me now? What if he never wants to see me anymore? She would ask this repetitively in her mind. All of these thoughts made her sad. Every time hat Van came and begged her to climb down, she wanted to badly. She wanted to fall into his arms and he could take care of her and baby her. She missed his wonderful scent. Basically, she missed Van. And she knew she was hurting him by staying there longer. She buried her face in her knees and started to cry hopelessly.  
  
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He climbed higher and higher up into the tree. The limbs were starting to get thinner and he was hoping he could find Ai still intact. A small bird had looked up to him questionably and started to hop upwards, almost showing her the way to something. Deciding that this couldn't hurt, he followed it. His brown boots had been dumped onto the grass long ago and he had the ease at climbing without them clunking around. Crying could be heard ahead, something that must have started just recently and he hurried on ahead. The bird then flew away and let him search himself.  
  
"Ai! Is that you Ai?" he called softly. The crying muffled and he could hear a tearful, "Papa?" He smiled and reached her. She was in a ball, shaking and eyes red. Her long hair had been splayed around her and knotted up. It had grown longer but still had the healthy shine to it. He crawled up to her and embraced his daughter. She hugged onto him and cried.  
  
"My poor Ai. I'm here. I'm here now." he said soothingly to her, rubbing her back softly. She hiccupped and pulled away from him softly.  
  
"Does he hate me Papa?" she asked, her head down and wiping her tears. Hoyt blinked and shook his head.  
  
"No. You really like Van don't you." he asked, wiping her tears. She looked up to him and nodded shyly. "He has been nice to you Ai, just come down. He's really torn up about this and it would make him feel a lot better." he suggested, holding out his hand. She looked up to him and smiled. 'That's my little girl.'  
  
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She climbed down after him and smiled. 'Van's not angry with me! He doesn't hate me at all!' she thought happily as she got closer to the ground. Holding the soft blue bundle close to her, making sure it didn't get torn. Her father stopped her and was about to jump down when she put a hand on his shoulder. "Please, I want Van to come and get me." she said softly.  
  
He nodded and smiled. Hopping down, he called out to Van. "Van! Ai won't come down unless you catch her." he said. She waited for her friend to come towards the base. Spying a black head of hair and ruby eyes looking up into the tree, searching for her, she waved her hand. He spied her and held out his arms to catch her.  
  
"I'm ready Ai! Jump down!" he said. She dropped the blue bundle first and he caught it, tossing it neatly onto the ground. He then readied himself to catch her. "Come on!" he called with a smile. She jumped own and landed in his arms softly. He stumbled a little bit and fell back onto the cool grass. He laughed and hugged her. Ai giggled and hugged her friend below her. Her elongated hair was messy and all around them.  
  
"Are you angry with me Van?" she said, burying her face into his neck. She could feel him shake his head.  
  
"No; I'm just happy that you're here with me again. I've missed you." he said.  
  
She looked at him with a smile. He was handsome, very handsome. His raven hair was around his head neatly. Two bright ruby eyes looked to her merrily. His lips were curved in a happy smile. She bit her lip and looked down.  
  
"Are you okay Ai?" he asked, his soft hand tilting her face to look into his. She blushed and shook her head. He regained his grin and helped her up. He held her hand and walked her to the manor, picking up the bundle she dropped. "Is this my shirt?" he asked as they walked down the halls.  
  
Blushing again, she nodded. "Yeah. I didn't want to ruin it. You seemed to like that shirt a lot." she said. He smiled to her.  
  
"It's alright, I can always get another one exactly the same." he said and placed it into her hands. "Anyways, you should keep it, since you took good care of it and all. I'll most likely ruin it and throw it away." he continued with a small laugh.  
  
She hugged onto him and smiled. "Thank you." she said. He blinked and shrugged.  
  
"It's no problem." he replied. They walked into her room and Van politely suggested that she take a bath to make her feel better. She agreed and changed into a robe. He prepared the bath and she jumped in. The water was nice and warm and she could smell the soft bath salts of jasmine. Giggling, she washed her hair and scrubbed the dirt and other things off of her skin and dried off her now clean and soft skin.  
  
Wearing the robe, she saw Van looking in her drawers. A few undergarments were laid on the bed. "Do you have any dresses Ai? Something loose and casual?" he asked. She shook her head and sat on her bed. He was very, muscular; not abnormally so, just in very good amounts. He turned and scratched his head. "Well, I'm going to go to one of the other rooms and get you a sundress." he said as he walked to the door.  
  
After he left, she put on her undergarments and put the robe back on. She laid back and relished in the softness of the bed. The smell of it all was wonderful. It smelled of grass and the rose soap she used a lot. Also the strong scent of wood was in there too. She blinked and took a good sniff. 'Grass? Wood? I don't smell like that at all. Wait! That's Van's smell.' she thought with a blush. It was too strong and overpowering to just be made this morning. 'Van must have slept in my bed when I was in the tree.'  
  
She was snapped out of her thought when there was a knock on the door. "Oh, come in!" she said, sitting up. Van walked in with a few dresses draped over his arm. They were colorful and loose, not tight and revealing.  
  
"I didn't know which one you'd want so I brought you a few." he said as he placed them spread out on the bed. Ai stood up and looked them over. They were all very pretty and she couldn't figure out which one she would wear. She looked up to him innocently.  
  
"Van, can you help me out. I can't choose." she asked. He nodded and looked them over. Picking up the scarlet, the green, and the white dresses, he put them to the side and looked the rest over. He frowned at the light blue dress and moved it with the others he didn't like. What were left were lavender, yellow, and pink dresses. Ai wrinkled up her nose. "The pink one has to go. I hate pink!" she said.  
  
Finally, he held the light yellow one up to her. He smiled and tossed it to her and picked up the rest of the dresses. "Get changed. I'm going to take you to that movie you wanted to go to." he said with a smile. "I'll come back and give you some shoes." She nodded and proceeded to take off her robe while he left. Slipping on the dress, it hugged her curves nicely. It was about ankle length and flowed out very prettily. The color was perfect for her and she made a small spin around in it. Giggling, she walked to her vanity and sat on the chair. She then brushed her hair out,  
  
Returning again, he smiled. He had changed into a loose red button-down dress shirt and black pants. Holding the hand she had her comb in, he said, "I'll do it, you can put your shoes on." She nodded and let the brush go into his hand. He brushed through her knots with gentle ease and the knots seemed to melt off of her hair. The frizzy texture of her locks smoothed out into nice ebony curls. He took gentle care in being gentle with her hair. It was now sweeping the floor and was probably at her knees if she stood.  
  
"I need to cut it. My hair must be grossly long." she said with embarrassment in her voice. He gave a small throaty laugh.  
  
"I think it's beautiful. It makes you look very pretty." he said. She blushed and smiled.  
  
"You're being very flattering to me today." she said, looking at the black shoes she put on.  
  
"I'm just stating the facts." he said softly. He smoothed out the last of her resistant knots. "I'm done. It's still about two and the movie won't be on until five. I was thinking about walking around before going." he said and sat on her bed.  
  
"I'm okay with it. Where do you want to go? Can it be something with art? I love art." she asked, turning to him. He smiled at her last comment. She liked his smiles. They were warm and handsome. She stood up and stretched her muscles. They were still sore from being in a ball the entire time of keeping in the tree. Ai could tell he was looking at her. She noticed this and blushed. 'Why am I blushing? Now he probably thinks I'm attracted to him. Well I am but I don't want him to know that.' she thought.  
  
They walked out of the room and through the halls. They walked around the sides and to the garage. Van pulled out some keys and pushed the unlock button on the keychain. Walking to his black corvette, she noticed all of the other cars in the lot. All of them were really nice looking and fancy, very new too. 'Van seems to be very rich to have this many cars. There are probably twenty cars here.' she thought. He walked to the passenger side and opened the door for her. She giggled and settled herself in. "Thank you." she said and he closed the door slowly. 'He's being such a gentleman.' she thought with a smile. He got in himself and started to drive.  
  
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Van parked the car and walked around the side to help Ai out. She took his hand and stood next to him. He decided to take her to the Tokyo Art Museum, one of his favorite spots around town. She held onto his arm and they walked in. The walls were nice and sterile white, making the pictures pop out with emphasis. Ai looked at the pictures in amazement. "These are all so good! I like the colors of them! Very pretty!" she said joyfully. He smiled and nodded.  
  
He hadn't been looking at the paintings, he had most all of the rooms memorized by heart so he knew what she would be looking at. Basically, he had been looking at her, kind of like studying her every move and reaction. She was pretty and he knew that. Just something in him urged to look at her constantly. She looked to him and he smiled. He could see her blush and continue to guide him around the rooms.  
  
It continued like that for the rest of the time in there. He couldn't find interest in the paintings and sculptures, no matter how hard he tried. Not that he would object at all, he enjoyed watching her and her reactions to him. Every time he was caught, he would smile to her and she would blush and look away. They had looked at all of the rooms at the good parts and he suggested going to something else.  
  
" Let's go to the boardwalk. We can waste just enough time to go to the movie." he recommended. She smiled to him and nodded her approval. He escorted her to the car and drove to their destination. He smiled while he was driving, taking occasional glances to her during the lights. She was stunning under the normally ugly streetlights. The light turned green and he continued. He parked at the end of the boardwalk and she held onto him the entire walk.  
  
Out on the sea, the sun was setting. The orange and yellow hues colored Ai in a warm glow, like a beautiful painting. 'Now I'm thinking about paintings.' he thought with a smirk. She was busy looking out to notice his gaze on her. 'She's so beautiful. Gods, I can't believe I thought that.'  
  
She held his hand and walked him over to the side of the walk, where the rocks started into the sea. "Let's watch the sunset Van. The movie can wait for another couple of hours. Besides, the movie won't be crowded then." she said with a smile. He blinked and smiled.  
  
"Sure. I was thinking about it anyway." he said. She guided him over to the concrete barrier and he picked her up, sitting her on the wall. He then swung his legs over and seated himself next to her. "This reminds me of a painting." he said out of the blue.  
  
"Oh really?" she asked, looking to him.  
  
"Yeah. Like a masterful painter, the colors are well blended in and flow. Kind of like a natural phenomenon." he said with a smile. She seemed intrigued by his comment and looked out to the sunset.  
  
"Yeah. I can imagine it. You're very poetic Van." she said laughing lightly. Her hair flowed nicely behind her with the crisp sea breeze. The smell of the jasmine and roses that she bathed with flooded into his nose. He sniffed and enjoyed the scent. It was intoxicating and feminine, something that wouldn't fit the wild goddess next to him.  
  
He looked over to her. The warm sunsets colors painted flattering accents on her dress. She looked to the sunset with a smile. The word 'Goddess' was all that emanated from her. She was stunning, more beautiful than any woman he had seen. The way she smiled, the way she talked, the way her chest rose and fell when she breathed in. All of what she did attracted him to her, like a magnet. He wanted to be owned by her, by the goddess who graced him by being near him.  
  
"You look beautiful." he said, looking to her. She looked at him with a mix of flattery and nervousness.  
  
"Um...thank you. I'm not that pretty." she spoke out, unease in her voice. Her cheeks blushed.  
  
His emotions started to rise up in his throat and made the air he breathed feel stuffy. He shook his head and smiled. "On the contrary, you are Ai." he said, his hand resting on hers and giving it a light squeeze. She blinked and looked at his hand, then to him.  
  
"Van...I-I-I." she stuttered, looking to him in pure nervousness. He placed a hand on her mouth to silence her.  
  
"Shhhhh...don't say anything." he said in a soft whisper. He moved his hand from hers to rest a little bit behind her to balance him. Using his other, he cupped her chin and leaned towards her. She stiffened up. "Relax..." he breathed. He brushed his lips against hers and kissed her. It was wonderful, much better than any kiss he ever had. Her body started to relax and she kissed him back. His tongue stroked against her lower lip softly, feeling it's soft and silky texture.  
  
She moaned softly and her tongue met his. He rubbed her arms and felt the smooth feel of them. She was enticingly soft and he savored the touch of her. Ai's lips tasted sweet and warm, something he thought he would probably never find the displeasure of. He broke away from it and looked to her. She had a flattering blush upon her cheeks and she looked down. He smiled and stroked his hand through her hair. The sun had sunk into the ocean by this time and the sky was orange and pink.  
  
"I think we've missed the movie by now." he said with a smile. She nodded; he could tell she was speechless from it all. He helped her off of the barrier and she shivered. "We should get you a jacket Ai; you're shivering." he said .He wrapped his arm around her slim waist and they walked off. A woman stood in the door of a shop speechless, tears falling down her cheeks.  
  
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A/N: Sooooooooo. do you like my little chappie? I have to admit, things are going kinda quickly but now I'm going to make things slow down so they could take time to linger in your little minds! Heh he! So, PLEASE REVIEW!!! This story would be at about five chapters by now if you guys would only review more! It's not that bad to ask right! Ya read it, you review and say it was good. That's all I ask. Well, the next chapter will be nice but the chapter after that will be kinda sad. Well, Bye!!! 


	4. Accidents and Metallic Foxes

Disclaimer: Check the first chapter if you care so much! Why do they have these blasted things anyway!!! Grrrrrrrrr.  
  
A/N: I think that this story needed to slow down and, at the same time, go onto the main plotline. Hehe. So, I hope you like this chapter somewhat and I really need some more reviews or this story will permanently go on the backburner. Well, enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
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Chapter IV: Accidents and Metallic Foxes  
  
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Ai woke up groggily. She was all over the place last night and had probably drunk out the entire town. Her head was spinning and her body ached. 'I guess this is what father calls a killer hangover. Damn, I shouldn't have gotten drunk while I was with Van. He probably thinks I'm some kind of a drunken idiot.' She thought with a giggle. Clutching her head, she noticed her room didn't smell right. It wasn't the overly femme fragrance of flowers and things, it smelled of a warm and musky scent. The sheets seemed lighter and softer too. 'Okay, this is getting really creepy!' she thought as she looked around.  
  
Everything was decorated in red. She knew where she was but it just couldn't pop up in her head. The bed was huge and extremely soft. There was a lit fireplace set into a wall to the right of the bed. Over it, was placed a family portrait. 'Okay, I'm in Van's room! Thank God! This is good! I thought I got screwed by some weirdo!' she thought and smiled.  
  
Preparing to get up, she suddenly felt weighted down. Trying again, she heard a groan from behind her. "Huh?" she asked aloud as she turned around. Van lay asleep soundly, his lips curved in a smile. His strong arms were wrapped around her waist in a protective hold. Looking down upon herself, she noticed she was naked; her clothes lay crumpled and scattered all over the room along with his. Fighting the heavy urge to scream, she whimpered and lay there shocked. 'Heh, well, I didn't get screwed by some unknown weirdo; I got laid by Van! Geez, wake up you idiot! I want to run away screaming about now!' she thought.  
  
She remembered what happened that night. They had been at the brewery by the restaurant and had created a large bill from drinking. Van had called a driver to pick them up and take them home. All during the ride, they had been fooling around in the back. So they had made out during the entire walk in the manor and they had just jumped into the nearest bedroom and made love twice before falling asleep. 'God, I must have been buzzed out like hell to not come into my senses. Shit! I can't believe I lost my virginity so quickly.' Ai thought as she yet again tried to get up.  
  
Prying his arms off of her, she rolled to the edge of the bed and looked around for her underwear. "Shit! Where the hell are they?" she whispered and scanned the floor. They lay slightly under the bed and she smiled. 'There they are.' she thought. As she bent down to pick them up, her hair was snagged and she almost yelled in pain. Most of her hair was under Van and she was too scared to wake him. 'I guess I have to lay here until Van wakes up.' she thought with a sigh. Settling in a comfortable spot near him, she slept.  
  
Ai didn't wake up for a while when she felt someone above of her, spreading heated kisses up and down her neck. His hands traveled all over her body and one rested on her breast. She froze and looked into his eyes in question. He smiled and cupped her face with his hand gently. "Good Morning sweetheart." he said. She rose herself to sit up, her hair finally free to move. "You really are a wild cat in bed eh Ai?" he asked with a lusty grin. She blushed and bit her lip, looking down. Placing a kiss on her lips, he pulled her against him. The taste of sweet wine and vodka was tantalizing to her as she drank the taste from his lips.  
  
Falling back onto the soft mattress, his lips trailed from hers down to her neck. Her hands guided his face back to hers and she kissed him hungrily. She straddled him and buried her fingers in his hair. Her head was still spinning but she ignored it. Van pulled away to breathe and she pulled him back to her, devouring him. Warm velvety hands moved up her hips and to her side. They stopped and moved back down to her hips and moved across them. She gasped as unhurried fingers groped her womanhood. Slowly, he started to stroke her, earning enticing moans from her and shivers of pleasure. Ai's kisses became rough and bruising as she moaned out in ecstasy.  
  
A faint knock on the door interrupted them. Groaning in frustration, he looked to the door. "Yes? What is it?" he asked, his voice gruff and hinted with anger.  
  
"It's me, May. May I come in?" asked a soft voice. He got off of her and sat on the bed.  
  
"Go ahead." he said and she opened the door slowly. Ai covered herself and laid back against the pillows, the tingle of erotic pleasure vibrating in her bones. May gave a knowing look to the two and bowed.  
  
"You have a visitor Van. She says its urgent." she said as she smiled.  
  
"Tell them to schedule a visit and come back later. I'm busy." said Van annoyed at the thought of a visitor. May shook her head.  
  
"It's the lady Hitomi. She seems distraught." she said. He ran his fingers through his raven hair and sighed.  
  
"Tell her I'll be there in ten minutes. Now please leave so I can get dressed." he said. May looked to Ai with a smirk. She, in turn, hugged the thin blankets to her nude body.  
  
"Isn't she coming along too?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
"Just go May!" he yelled embarrassed.  
  
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He met Hitomi in the meeting hall. In her hands was a large box of assorted things with a kite sticking out profusely. She stomped over to him and shoved the box into his hands. "Hitomi? What is this?" he asked as he looked over the large assortments of little things.  
  
"I saw you Van!" she yelled. He could tell she was angry about something but he couldn't tell what it was.  
  
"Huh? What?" he asked.  
  
"Don't you 'huh' me Van! You know what I'm talking about! You and that whore of a persocom were at the boardwalk together!" she yelled. It finally struck him. He was dumbfounded and ashamed that she saw them.  
  
"Hitomi I..." he started but couldn't finish. 'Gods, what have I done.' he thought and sat the box on the table next to them.  
  
"I had my driver follow you so I could make sure you were okay! And that little thing about getting her drunk and making out all in the bar AND the back of your car, just plain sick!" she said as she looked down to the ground.  
  
"I'm so sorry Hitomi. I wasn't thinking." he said.  
  
"That's right, you never think at all." she said as she wiped a tear from her face. She looked up to him with tearful eyes. "Did you screw her too Van?" she asked. Silence. "Did you Van?!" she asked in a yell. He looked down. She shook her head in disbelief. "Iie..."  
  
"I never meant to hurt you Hitomi." he said quietly. She shook in anger. Holding back tears, she stormed out of the hall.  
  
"You sick bastard of a man!" she yelled. He grabbed her hand to halt her.  
  
"Hitomi wait. I didn't know what I was thinking." he said hurriedly. She spun to him and slapped him hard. The crack rang in the air and bounced off of the walls.  
  
"I know what you were thinking Van, you were thinking like a man. Let go of me and leave me alone!" she yelled and wrenched her hand from him. And with that, the rushed out of the hall and out the grand entrance.  
  
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "God damn, none of this should have happened. I'm so stupid." he said as he leaned against the wall. He could hear her car driving off smoothly and he sighed. This was going to be tough and all he wanted to do was to bury himself into his paperwork and forget about it all for a while until they both were calmed down. After all, Hitomi was a very forgiving person.  
  
Walking down the corridor, he looked up to the ceiling and smiled. "Well, I guess that this means I won't be picked on by Allen anymore. I wonder how long it will take for him to find another flaw in my life." he said with a laugh. His laugh stopped abruptly as he bumped into Ai. Blinking, he smiled and ruffled her hair. "You should watch your step" he said jokingly. She gave a small smile and nodded, silently continuing her fast pace down the hall.  
  
He watched her leave and shrugged. "Eh? What's her problem? I guess she's just tired." he said and continued on to the study.  
  
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The crowd was busy and loud. People were everywhere and it was really bothering her. She just wanted to be alone and wallow in her mood. Turning corners, her eyes glazed over as the directions showed in her mind. It was easy to get to her fathers' laboratory because he and Van didn't live too far and complicated away.  
  
A young woman with short blonde hair and wearing an elaborate green dress with a fancy hat looked Ai over. "Persocoms, they are always a Trojan Horse." she said haughtily as she continued to walk. Ai turned and flipped her off.  
  
"Back to you Main street bitch!" she yelled and the woman turned around. A loud 'how dare you' came from her as Ai blended in with the crowd. Humans were something that she always despised. Whenever she walked with Van women would scowl at her and mutter rude things about her. All of it was annoying and he would always tell her to just ignore them because they were jealous because they weren't as pretty as her.  
  
'Damn Van. I hate humans. Humans can go to hell.' she thought as she lost her connection. "Mother fucker! Come on you shit! Work!" she cursed as she walked, smacking her forehead to clear the reception.  
  
"Reception not working?" asked a male voice. She gave an angry sigh.  
  
"Shut the hell up Van! Why don't you go screw another 'com!" she yelled.  
  
"I don't know who this Van is but I don't screw any one." said a young male leaning on the fence to a park. He was a persocom with long red metallic ears. His lime green hair was short and swept slightly on his forehead, kind of looking like that guy Eagle from her comic Magic Knights Rayearth. Bright blue eyes looked to her in a sly and fox-like look.  
  
She blushed and shook her head. "Oh! Sorry, I just was thinking you were Van, my owner." she said. He walked over and looked her over with a smile. Her denim miniskirt and white long-sleeved shirt made her feel totally like a slut but that was what she had thrown on after she was upset and all.  
  
His eyes clouded and gave a scanning look as he memorized her appearance. "If all of the coms at your place look half as good as you, I would be sleeping around with mine too." he said with a smile. Her blush turned into a sly grin.  
  
"Well keep dreaming because you won't be getting any of this anytime soon." she said gesturing her curves. The com walked up to her and leaned into her ear.  
  
"I don't mind waiting baby." he whispered seductively. She moved back and shook her head.  
  
"Um, sorry but I'm not allowed to talk to strangers. I must be going now." she said nervously. She hurried up the street. 'That com is really creepy. The way that man was acting was like a horny dog with a flowerpot.' she thought as she quickly made her way to her father's. The lab was near and she smiled and jogged her way up there. In her rush there, she sprained her ankle and fell in a heap. Her left ear smacked into the pavement and gave a cracking sound.  
  
Looking around, her father's lab was only a few more blocks away and she huffed. Trying to stand up, she crashed back down and sniffled. The pain was excruciating and she just sat there miserably. A shadow covered her and moved slightly as if shaking its head. "The angel broke her wing." said the com and he crouched down to her.  
  
"Just leave me alone, I'm fine!" she said in a sob and tried once again to stand. Successfully doing so, she looked to him with an I-told-you- so look. "See, I'm fine." she said and started to walk. She started to fall again but he caught her. Pulling her into an embrace, he smirked.  
  
"You shouldn't walk, you could permanently damage yourself." he said softly. She gave up and sighed.  
  
"It'd probably be nothing worse than what you would do to me if I'm not careful." she said. He bent down and picked her up in his arms. She held onto him and he started walking in another direction. Ai panicked and struggled against him. "What are you going to do with me? I am not going that way!" she said sacred.  
  
With a lot of fussing, he walked her into an apartment building and up the stairs and to his door. Gently flinging her over his shoulders, he walked in with her kicking and screaming.  
  
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Van sat bored in his study. He had called for Ai an hour ago and he was waiting for May to bring her in. He wanted her sarcastic and cheery personality there and she could cheer him up from his situation. The door slowly clicked closed. May walked up to the desk and bowed with a frown. "I'm sorry Lord Van, she has left for the day." she said.  
  
He raised and eyebrow and frowned. "No, she should still be here. She always tells me whenever she wants to leave the manor. Are you sure that she has left? Scan the parameters again. Make it thorough." he said. Nodding, she looked straight forward. Her soft brown eyes glazed over and a laser scanned around in them.  
  
"No readings on Ai. Do you want me to check the city for her, it will take approximately two hours to scour it all and pinpoint her." said May in a monotone voice, still in search mode.  
  
"Yes. Make sure it is thorough, I really need to make sure she is alright." he said in his business voice.  
  
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The bed was soft and she sat on the head of the bed and looked around nervously. The man walked into the kitchen a few minutes ago and was busy heating something up. He was exceedingly gentle with her and didn't violate her at all in her vulnerable position. He walked in with a bowl of rice and seasoned chicken on the top. He wore nothing but his denim jeans and a serpent necklace hanging on his chest. "I didn't know what to give you so I gave you something pretty simple. I hope you like it." he said as he held it out to her.  
  
Taking the bowl softly, she took the chopsticks from his hand and started to pick up a piece of chicken. Biting into the lemony chicken, she chewed slowly, savoring the taste. "This is really good. You are a good cook." she said as she started to dig in.  
  
He blinked and smiled as he watched her shovel in the food. She stopped at his small laugh and giggled. "I know I'm a pig but I love to eat you know." she said with a smile. He laughed and shook his head.  
  
"No, I completely understand. I eat a bit too." he said. She placed the bowl of drained food on her lap.  
  
"What is your name?" she asked.  
  
"Ieio. My maker called me that. I live on my own, now that my operator had married and left off to live in Spain. So I was left with the house and a stable job to buy the groceries." he said with a smile.  
  
"Oh that sucks. You must be very lonely." she said sadly. He shook his head and gave a gentle smile.  
  
"I do sometimes but sometimes I find people who need my help, like you. So I make friends in a way but it isn't for that long. Now that I've given you my life story, you have to bare it all." he said.  
  
"Oh, um. There's not much to say." she said as she swirled her cup of apple juice. "My name is Ai and I live with my owner Van Fanel in the Fanel manor. It's really fun and all, just to hang around him but I just... don't want to be with him for a while." she said and her expression grew sad.  
  
"What do you mean by 'not being around him for a while'? Did he do something to hurt you?" he asked, truly interested in this.  
  
"Well we got drunk and I slept with him and now he's telling his girlfriend that he didn't mean it all. I mean how would you feel, when you feel nervous about doing something you've never done before and when you finally do it, then he says he didn't know what he was thinking!?" she asked, the anger filling up in her again. Ieio shook his head with a displeased look on his face.  
  
"He must be very inconsiderate to even think about saying that. Having sex with someone who cares about you isn't something that should be dealt with lightly. It is something that human men take granted of." he said distastefully.  
  
"Yeah, I just don't understand humans you know? They always go on and try after something that they can never have. And when they don't, they ruin all of the good things they do have. And they value friendships over family like gold over dirt. I wish I could have grown up like the humans did with a mother and father to raise me properly. I just watch their valuable opportunities waste away and it just sucks." she said as she took a drink and sat her food on the bedside table and yawned.  
  
He stood up and picked up her food. "I only wish they could see themselves through our eyes, then they would realize how idiotic they carry themselves in life." he said as he walked out the door. A few minutes later, he came back with a long button down dark blue shirt. She changed into it and he came back in and checked.  
  
The shirt hung at her mid thigh and the arms were too long so he dug into his drawers and found a sleeveless undershirt. When she put it on, it rest at the same length as the blue shirt and a large amount of cleavage was shown but he didn't pay too much attention to it. She jumped under the covers and smiled like a little girl.  
  
"Ieio, can you stay with me please?" she asked as she patted the bedding next to her. He smiled and pulled off his pants and climbed in wearing his boxers. She cuddled up against him and they fell asleep, Ieio holding her from behind.  
  
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"Boardwalk sector...checked. Museum sector... checked. Downtown sector... checked. Upscale living structures... searching... searching... reconfirming... Hit! Hit! Hit!" said May as she exclaimed the last part. Her wires were plugged into the flat screen monitor. Van jumped to attention from his half sleep and looked to her seriously.  
  
"Have you found her? Is she safe? What's happening with her? Where is she May?!" he asked repetitively. Her eyes maintained a blurred light brown and she gasped as information was shoved into her database. The monitor blinked and a dark fuzzy picture came onto the screen. There were some light blues and slow silhouettes began to appear. A dark one and a light one began to emerge. May moaned and the picture sharpened quickly and revealed itself to him.  
  
Ai laid in a soft bed wearing a shirt that scantly covered her. Behind her was a new man. He had green hair and long red persocom ears. Both were happily asleep and the man held Ai from behind. Van sucked in a breath and looked on. Ai giggled in her sleep and turned around slowly, hugging onto the man with a soft smile. She opened her eyes halfway and smiled.  
  
"Ieio..." she sighed in the same fashion that she used to call Van's own name. Like a soft whisper in the wind. The Ieio man held her closer to him and smirked as her slept. She too soon fell back to sleep. Van turned off the monitor and fell back into his chair. He stared at the blank screen for a little hope that he imagined it all.  
  
He pushed the screen back on and it revealed the ever clear image of another man holding Ai and her relishing in it all. Angrily, he pushed it off of the desk and the screen shattered at May's feet. It sent out shocks of protesting and her wires shot out of the sockets and sucked back up into her ear. The entire monitor exploded of bits and screws which bounced and cut at her skin.  
  
Ignoring this, he stood up at the door and paused. "Find the address and give it to me as soon as possible and if something happens to her, notify me immediately." he directed and walked out of the room. Walking to his room, he was shattered. Every time Hitomi comes into the matter, it's always screwed up and causes something horrible.  
  
"Why is this happening?" he asked himself. He walked into his room with a sigh. It was tidied up and void of her scent. Taking off his shirt, he laid in bed and brushed a hand on the side of him. A goddess used to lay there, soft and sweet, innocent yet passionate to him. She smothered him with love and attention. He belonged to her like a loyal dog to his master but now she wasn't there anymore. He hugged a pillow and fell asleep.  
  
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Light glared on her face and nudged her awake. She cracked an eye open and quickly shut it to blindness. Yawning, she moaned and held her hand up to block the blinding light. The room was fairly average sized and decorated in hints of blues and whites. A metallic fox laid next to her. He had the innocent aura about him as he slept, his breathing slow and smooth.  
  
Gently, she nudged him. He blinked his eyes groggily and, after realizing who woke him up, he smiled. "Good morning. Do you sleep well?" he asked, brushing a loose lock of hair from her face. She smiled and nodded.  
  
"Yeah. The best sleep I've had. Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving." she asked with a stretch.  
  
"Sure, you have to come with me though. I'm not going to stay in the kitchen by myself." he said with a smile. They got out of bed and continued on to the kitchen.  
  
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A/N: I am so giving up on The Painting. After this weird crap about deleting all of the rating, I am putting it all on the big huge back burner. Sorry alls but I think that it's just stupid. Well, I hope you all recommend this story to everybody because I have good news. I am going to update this a lot more now! Yay! Well, see 'alls later! Bye! 


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